Shoe sole comfort and support system containing blends of loose fill material

ABSTRACT

A shoe is provided with an outsole that contacts the ground, an insole upon which a foot rests, and a midsole located between the outsole and the insole. The midsole cushions the wearer&#39;s foot by providing a loose fill having a size between −2 and −80 mesh, in a front compartment on which the toes and ball of the foot of the wearer rest and a heel compartment on which the heel of the wearer rests. The front compartment is divided into at least two sub compartments to keep the loose fill evenly distributed. The front compartment and the heel compartment are separated by an arch support section of the midsole. A blend of two or more mesh sizes of fill may also be used for the loose fill.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a Continuation in Part Application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/905,144 filed on Dec. 17, 2004. These applications are herein incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to the comfort and support in the sole of a shoe. In particular, the present invention relates to a shoe with a midsole that is partially filled with a loose fill for shock absorption, cushioning, energy return, added comfort and stability.

2. Discussion of the Related Art

Dress, casual and athletic shoes generally include an upper portion and an inner lining that cover the top of the foot, a counter placed between the upper portion and the lining to provide rigidity at the heel, an insole upon which the foot rests, an outsole which contacts the ground surface and a midsole portion that is positioned between the insole and outsole.

A filler is a material that fills the compartments, if present, formed in the midsole when the midsole and the outsole are connected. The outsole is the bottom portion of the shoe that contacts the ground or floor surface that is usually manufactured from leather, rubber or any of several suitable synthetic materials. A scrim is a thin flexible sheet of fabric or plastic film that may either be glued or sewn over the loose fill compartments to create a top for the compartments.

The manufacture of shoes using conventional construction methods is a complicated and expensive process. In this regard, improvements are sought to simplify the construction process and cost of materials that corresponding decrease the cost of manufacturing the shoe, while maintaining all of the functionality of the shoe.

In the prior art, most improvements in shoe design have focused on the midsole. The midsole is a shoe's main cushioning system. In early athletic shoes, midsoles did not exist. Early basketball shoes had some rubber cushioning inside them, but nothing as advanced and innovative as the modern midsole found in every type of shoe from walking shoes to basketball shoes. These innovations range from improved foam midsoles to very complicated air and fluid systems. While these increasingly complicated midsoles may improve performance, the cost to manufacture these shoes has increased dramatically.

Thus, there is a need in the art for a shoe having a less expensive midsole construction with a lower density while providing adequate cushioning and stability for every type of shoe or boot.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide a shoe with superior comfort, performance and stability by using loose fill having a mesh size between −2 and −80, located in compartments in the midsole located in the heel and front of the shoe. This object is met by the present invention by constructing a shoe with a midsole that has compartments where the wearer's heel, ball of the foot and toes would normally rest. These compartments are filled with a loose fill. The front compartment contains walls or dividers to help keep the loose fill in place. A scrim may be sewn or glued into place above the compartments to form a top for the compartments. The loose fill may also be held in place by the use of adhesives. An arch support section separates the front compartment from the heel compartment and is made of the same material as the rest of the midsole.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

A clear understanding of the various advantages and features of the present invention, as well as the construction and operation of conventional components and mechanisms associated with the present invention, will become apparent by referring to the exemplary, and therefore non-limiting, embodiments illustrated in the following drawings which accompany and form a part of this patent specification.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a shoe;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the shoe;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the heel of a shoe; and,

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the midsole of a shoe with compartments and sub compartments to contain the fill in the shoe.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring to FIG. 1, the present invention includes generally a shoe 10 having an outsole 12, a midsole 14, and an insole 16. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, shoe 10 is any shoe including but not limited to an athletic shoe, a casual shoe, a boot, a sandal, or a dress shoe.

Outsole 12 of shoe 10 is commonly made from a variety of materials including elastomer styrene-butadiene rubber or a carbon fiber rubber. Lying on the bottom side of shoe 10, outsole 12's main purpose is to provide friction and durability. Different treads on outsoles 12 define shoe 10's purpose. For example, on an athletic shoe, waffle-studded treads act like support columns to absorb and dissipate impact.

Just above outsole 12 is midsole 14. Midsole 14 absorbs impact by cushioning but also returns energy to the wearer of the shoe 10. Above midsole 14 is insole 16. Insole 16 is commonly made from polymer foam lined with a fabric cover. The main purpose of insole 16 is to provide comfort and shock absorption at impact, largely in the heel section of shoe 10.

Referring to FIGS. 2-3, in order to reduce manufacturing costs associated with the current complex systems used for midsoles, the midsole 14 of shoe 10 in the preferred embodiment of the present invention includes a loose fill material 18 instead of a continuous section of material normally found in midsole 14. Loose fill 18 is placed in compartments at the heel 22 and front 20 of the midsole 14.

In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, material 18 is a crumb rubber. Other materials such as ground rubber, plasticized polyvinyl chloride (PVC), ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyethylene resin, polyethylene foam, polyurethane foam or ethylene vinyl chloride (EVC) are available new or recycled and are able to provide stability and cushioning properties similar to crumb rubber. Such materials can be formed or shredded into pellet-like shapes similar to crumb rubber. Natural materials such as sand or buckwheat hulls may also serve as loose fill, but they may have different characteristics than crumb rubber.

The size of loose fill which is suitable for the present invention is from −2 to −80 mesh. When measured by “mesh”, materials are sized by passing through a screen with a number of holes per inch. For example, −80 mesh materials will pass through a screen with 80 holes per inch. Therefore, the individual piece of −2 mesh material is much larger than individual piece of −80 mesh material. In the present invention, a single mesh size of loose fill or a blend of two or more mesh sizes may be used. A blend allows the larger sized material to more quickly fill the compartment, while the smaller sized material fills in the gaps that might otherwise exist if only the larger material were used. Also, while the smaller sized material allows the midsole to better shape to the wearer's foot, the larger sized material provides firmer support and cushioning and is less likely to shift.

Crumb rubber is used in the preferred embodiment because it is a plentiful and recycled material. Shredding or grinding scrap tires makes crumb rubber and it is a particulate material free of fiber and steel after processing. It is generally made commercially available in 50-pound bags or 2000-pounds bulk bags. Crumb rubber is light in weight and is durable. In addition, using crumb rubber as loose fill 18 is inexpensive and helps to reduce the number of scrap tires that otherwise go to landfills or other kinds of waste storage facilities.

FIG. 4 illustrates an embodiment of the present invention that includes a front compartment 20, a heel compartment 22, and an arch support 26 section of the midsole separating the front compartment 20 from the heel compartment 22.

The divider 24 is designed to prevent the loose fill material from collecting within one area of the midsole. It may have a T shape, Y shape (not shown) or any other shape which will ensures the even distribution of fill material 18 in the front compartment 20 and guards against uneven compaction of material 18. To further guard against uneven distribution of material 18, fill material 18 may include an adhesive that binds the loose crumb rubber 18 together to some extent. Not shown is a scrim that may be glued or sewn over the top of the front compartment 20 and the heel compartment 22. It would serve as a top to contain the loose fill. The scrim, if present, would be under the insole.

The scope of the application is not to be limited by the description of the preferred embodiments described above, but is to be limited solely by the scope of the claims that follow. For example, a composite sheet of crumb rubber including a binding adhesive may be used in place of loose fill crumb rubber to fill midsole 14 of shoe 10 without departing from the scope of the preferred embodiment of the present invention. 

1. A shoe comprising: an outsole; an insole; and a midsole located between the outsole and the insole, wherein the midsole has a front compartment and a heel compartment filled with loose fill having a mesh size between −2 and −80.
 2. A shoe according to claim 1, wherein the loose fill material has a mesh size between −4 and −20.
 3. A shoe according to claim 1, wherein the loose fill material has a mesh size between −8 and −10.
 4. A shoe comprising: an outsole; an insole; and a midsole located between the outsole and the insole, wherein the midsole has a front compartment and a heel compartment filled with a blend of two or more sizes of loose fill having mesh sizes between −2 and −80.
 5. A shoe according to claim 4, wherein the loose fill material is a blend of 10 to 90% loose fill with a mesh size of −4 and 10% to 90% loose fill with a mesh size of −20.
 6. A shoe according to claim 4, wherein the loose fill material is a blend of 10% to 90% loose fill with a mesh size of −8 and 10% to 90% loose fill with a mesh size of −10.
 7. A shoe according to claim 4, wherein the loose fill material is a blend of 10% to 90% loose fill with a mesh size of −2 and 10% to 90% loose fill with a mesh size of −80.
 8. A shoe comprising: an outsole; an insole; and a midsole located between the outsole and the insole, wherein the midsole has a front compartment and a heel compartment filled with a blend of more than one loose fill material having mesh sizes between −2 and −80.
 9. A shoe according to claim 8, wherein the loose fill is a blend of crumb rubber and plasticized polyvinyl chloride.
 10. A shoe according to claim 8, wherein the loose fill is a blend of crumb rubber and ethylene-vinyl acetate.
 11. A shoe according to claim 8, wherein the loose fill material is a blend of crumb rubber and polyethylene terephthalate.
 12. A shoe according to claim 8, wherein the loose fill material is a blend of crumb rubber and ethylene vinyl chloride.
 13. A shoe according to claim 8, wherein the loose fill material is a blend of crumb rubber and ground rubber.
 14. A shoe according to claim 8, wherein the loose fill material is a blend of recycled and new materials.
 15. A shoe according to claim 8, wherein the loose fill material is a blend of natural and synthetic materials. 